It’s Remembrance day in Canada, and in addition to wearing my poppy and thinking about the sacrifices of all those Canadian soldiers, I’m also thinking about all the former …

]]>Memories, of the way we were (and the players we had).

It’s Remembrance day in Canada, and in addition to wearing my poppy and thinking about the sacrifices of all those Canadian soldiers, I’m also thinking about all the former Canucks still playing in the NHL. Obviously one is more important than the other, but stay with me here.

(Lest we forget)

Recently, former Canuck Manny Malhotra was the overtime hero for the Carolina Hurricanes. Many had speculated that Malhotra was done playing in the NHL, and going from “minor league tryout contract” to “overtime hero” was a wonderful surprise. Manny was a class player and a huge part of our President’s Trophy run a few years ago, and I was sad to see him go. However, I was even happier to see him succeed somewhere else, so let’s take a look at the goal and get all warm and fuzzy.

Manny Malhotra’s success got me thinking about the other former Canucks that are still in the NHL, and how with a few exceptions I wish them all well (yes, even you Christian Ehrhoff). So because today is all about remembering, I thought I would take a look at my favourite moments from these former Canucks.

Christian Ehrhoff (let’s get him out of the way early)

The Moment: The Canucks’ historic 40th anniversary season all started with a goal from Ehrhoff. He snuck in from the point, not unlike a ninja and scored a simple goal.

Highlight

Sami Salo

The Moment: It’s not just about goals here people. Salo got tons of them, but it was his remarkable comeback from a “ruptured testicle” in the playoffs that sticks out for me the most. It hurts to even type those words, but the Canucks fans showed their appreciation with the first (and to date, only) “BALLS OF STEEL” chant at Rogers Arena.

The Highlight:

Steve Bernier

The Moment: Maybe more so because the Canucks just got pounded by the Kings, but I remember Bernier going off in Game 5 of our 2010 playoff series with the monarchs for two goals. One of them, was the 7th and final goal. Suck it Kings. Suck it hard.

The Highlight:

Todd Bertuzzi

The Moment: He was an important player for the Canucks, and a key component for our return to prominence. He was also a player that made a mistake in the heat of the moment which haunted him for years. This moment is pretty special though. Not all about goals, like I said.

The Highlight:

Matt Cooke

The Moment: Cooke scores one of the biggest playoff goals in Canucks history (yeah, I said it). Even though they didn’t beat the Flames in Game 7, Cooke tying the game with 5.7 seconds left gave them a chance. We’d all be talking about this goal regularly if another former Canucks (Martin Gelinas) didn’t go dagger on us in OT.

The Highlight:

Tanner Glass

The Moment: Not a “highlight” per se, but unquestionably the most memorable thing he did as a Canuck. The next highlight made him the luckiest person in Vancouver that night.

The Highlight:

Maxim Lapierre

The Moment: It was the last game the Canucks would win during their amazing 2011 Stanley Cup run. Lapierre was the hero on this night as the Canucks won 1-0.

The Highlight:

Taylor Pyatt

The Moment: Pyatt might not be the first guy you want taking a penalty shot for you, but he made the Avalanche pay when given the chance. Also, he had dreamy eyes. In fact, that’s probably how he scored.

The Highlight:

Shane O’Brien

The Moment: Taking a shot at Sean Avery is always memorable, but this gets bonus points for showing current Head Coach John Tortorella irate at the Canucks (hopefully for the last time in a while).

The Highlight:

Mattias Ohlund

The Moment: Was a big part of one of the best powerplay shifts in Canucks history. Also had the benefit of playing with the “Beast Modo” line 6 years before it became a thing.

The Highlight:

Mikael Samuelsson

The Moment: More Canucks on Kings violence. Make no mistake about it, Samuelsson owned the Kings in this series, and it all started in OT of Game 1.

The Highlight:

Raffi Torres

The Moment: Don’t even need to say anything. Roll it!

The Highlight:

Aaron Volpatti

The Moment: Note to self: never rush into a fight with Aaron Volpatti. We could have use a lot more of this against the Sharks last season.

The Highlight:

Derek Roy

The Moment: A rare and hard to find item: a Derek Roy Canucks highlight. By golly, I found one!

The Moment: After a freak injury, this was a heartwarming moment in Canucks history. Plus, it’s hard to find great highlights of face off wins. This was the best season in Canucks history, and Manny was a huge part of that.

The Highlight:

Aaron Rome

The Moment: It was a clean hit, and just another moment in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs that gave “anti- Canucks bias” conspiracy theorists some evidence.

The Highlight:

Mason Raymond

The Moment: I will admit, I always enjoyed it when he busted out one of these. Having said that, the NHL should make it illegal.

The Highlight:

Keith Ballard

The Moment: He never got a fair shake in this town, which is too bad because Ballard was pretty hilarious. Hard to find highlights when he was relegated to the press box so often.

The Highlight:

Cory Schneider

The Moment: It’s still too soon to watch highlights of “The Red Headed Stop Child” be awesome in net, so here is his legendary appearance on CBC After Hours. Maybe next year after we win the cup I will show some of his greatest saves.

The Highlight:

Cody Hodgson

The Moment: End with the best. This was an amazing goal that helped the Canucks win “Game 8″ against the Bruins. The decisive “Game 9″ will be on December 14th. We want our cup, they better bring it with them.

The Highlight:

You can follow j.Bow on Twitter (@jBowmancouver). He hopes next year to include Alex Edler on this list. Trade that man!

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/11/11/canucks-remembrance-day-favourite-moments-from-past-players/feed/0codymasonjbowman85(Lest we forget)EhrhoffVancouver Canucks Salo celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 in VancouverBernierbertuzzi1_bCookeGlassLapierrePyattShane O'Brien, Derek DorsettohlundSamuelssonTorres2Volpatti2RoyMitchellMalhotraVancouver Canucks v Nashville Predators - Game FourRaymondVancouver Canucks East Coast road tripSchneiderHodgsonFrom the Rafters: Capitals at Canucks (3-2 Canucks)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/28/from-the-rafters-capitals-at-canucks-3-2-canucks/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/28/from-the-rafters-capitals-at-canucks-3-2-canucks/#commentsTue, 29 Oct 2013 06:07:45 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=133427– Zack Kassian and Jason Chimera had quite a night together. The entire game they were chirping each other, which led to hits, slashes, goals (one shift Chimera seemed intent upon scoring if it was the last thing he did, …]]>– Zack Kassian and Jason Chimera had quite a night together. The entire game they were chirping each other, which led to hits, slashes, goals (one shift Chimera seemed intent upon scoring if it was the last thing he did, which he did, so luckily we didn’t have to seem him perish). I’ve always said some of my favorite parts of hockey are the one on one battles within the game, and that was a joy to watch as Kassian and Chimera did their best Jersey Shore impression all night long.

– One of the fun things under the Canucks this year is the “Player of the game” situation going on within the team. This is an old tradition for hockey teams to award a player of the game and make him wear something silly and fun. Some teams choose a hard hat, some choose a wrestling belt; it can be anything the team wants, and it appears the Canucks are going with a Superman shirt and head band combo:

I like the fact the Canucks are doing this, it helps loosen the mood and playing for bragging rights on the team is always a fun harmless game that many a beer league team has done over the years.

It also sets a stark contrast for the team from the last couple of seasons where they looked downright depressed over all the expectations placed upon them. Having fun out there is a good thing!

– Sometimes the Sedins do bad things to other teams. Bad things that you can’t help but sit back and giggle at. Tonight the Sedins decided to put on a clinic as they down right dominated the Capitals seemingly on a whim. Maybe they were upset they didn’t get enough potatoes with their souvlaki last night, but they took it all out on Washington tonight. Yes, the score was only 3-2, but the Canucks made the Capitals look like the Buffalo Sabres at times with their offensive zone possession and the shots they produced.

– I don’t know how long Kesler will play with the Twins, but man is he fun to watch with them. We have seen countless line mates play with the Twins over the years that they have elevated, but there is just something extra exciting about watching Kesler play with the Sedins. Maybe it’s the fact Kesler likes to pose nude, or maybe it’s the fact that when Kesler hits his extra gear he turns into that prototypical power forward people have been wanting to play with the Twins for years.

Not the Isbister, Pyatt, Lee Goren, Steve Bernier, power forward. The Ryan Kesler, actually knows what a puck is and where it’s supposed to go kind.

– Don’t look now but Roberto Luongo is 7-3-1 in the month of October. I think it’s safe to say that those crappy Octobers were all Alain Vigneault’s fault.

I kid.

Or do I?

No I kid.

I think.

– I know the Canucks claim they were tracking Zack Dalpe since inception (“That cell right there is going to grow up to be our fourth liner one day” exclaimed 31 year old Mike Gillis in 1989), but Jeremy Welsh has turned out to be a solid pick up so far. He has NHL speed and size and compared to fourth liners of years past (No offence Desbiens), Welsh looks, dare I say it, solid? Yes he makes mistakes, but he also shows hockey sense and the ability to use his size properly. Not that I don’t enjoy Tom Sestito running across the ice looking like he’s doing a windmill impersonation, but it’s nice to see Welsh making the most out of his current spot on the team.

– Torts was also quite adamant in his praise of Darren Archibald, who holds the distinction of being the only Canuck this year who has attempted to murder someone through the glass (he throws hard body checks).

– One of the better highlights of the game was Steve Oleksy trying to get back to the bench after his skate blade fell out:

He looks like me trying to skate after having a couple of beers.

– One of the worst highlights of the game was the referee not handing out a penalty for shooting a piece of equipment at another player. Puck Daddy covers it well here but for those afraid of links:

In his haste to upload the video, Puck Daddy didn’t slow down or use nifty arrows, but watch for Alzner shooting the glove at Daniel Sedin and see how there is no call.

This isn’t an end of the world type situation, but it was a pretty obvious call to make, and it’s odd the ref didn’t make what looks like an easy call.

– I’m going to be saying it all season long so get used to it, but Santorelli is one of the best players on the team at using his body effectively to shield other players from the puck. Mason Raymond used to try this and would fall down a lot. Santorelli tries it and drives to the net or spins around to create space for himself, while protecting the puck. That is one of the main reasons for his success so far, in my humblest of opinions.

– With the Rangers off to their worst start in years and with the Canucks off to one of their better starts in years, the temptation to pile on Alain Vigneault is probably very high. I will refrain from this and all I will say is that this year the Canucks aggressive style has been very entertaining so far and I hope it continues.

If the Rangers miss the playoffs and the Canucks make the 2nd round, then we can all get together for a party and beat up a pinata that looks like AV though. Deal?

Next game up are the now Eastern Detroit Red Wings! Can Luongo make it EIGHT wins in October?? Tune in to find out!

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/28/from-the-rafters-capitals-at-canucks-3-2-canucks/feed/1kassiankidr0llkassiantumbleCanucks/Devils Post Game Quotes (I Wish Were Real)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/09/canucksdevils-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-2/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/09/canucksdevils-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-2/#commentsWed, 09 Oct 2013 16:00:05 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=131266The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you …]]>The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you just want to hear someone go off.

No canned responses about “working hard”, “winning the battles” and “ignoring storylines” (in case you didn’t know, Cory Schneider came back last night). I would love it if there was a bit more colour in those interviews and players said what they were really thinking.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Head Coach Peter DeBoer – “I don’t like games with more than 3 goals. That isn’t Devils hockey, so I don’t consider this a Devils loss”

Cory Schneider – “Can we all please stop talking about the trade? We need to focus on what’s really important: How did Andrew Ebbett get so freaking good?”

Bryce Salvadore – “I’m just as surprised as you are I’m the captain of this team. It’s a big step for Bryce’s everywhere. We’ve had it rough, you know, because of the name and everything”.

Patrick Elias – “So I says to Jagr I says: ‘Off Hamhuis, off the referee, off Weise, off Luongo’s pad, nothing but net’. He owes me $40,000 dollars”.

Jaromir Jagr – “It’s too bad this will be the only time I play in Vancouver until it’s my turn to play a season here in 2018″.

Steve Bernier – “All this hype about Cory and not a peep about the “Returnier of Bernier”? I hate it here!”

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Head Coach John Tortorella – “The Sharks scored on the Rangers 9 times tonight? Holy sh#@! If the Sharks score on us nine f#%ing times on Thursday I’ll fire myself”.

Roberto Luongo – “You can try to take my job, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let that ginger punk come into my house and take a win. He already took enough wins from me in this building”.

Henrik Sedin – “Santorelli was asking me on the bench all game how heavy the Hart trophy is.”

Daniel Sedin – “He was also asking me how much the Art Ross trophy is. When is Burr coming back?”

Ryan Kesler – “I didn’t get to score on THIS Schneider, but you know what? Nah. Not even gonna go there”

David Booth – “It’s tough sometimes having a scoring streak snapped, but this last 48 hours has been pretty amazing”.

Mike Santorelli – “Anson Carter is an idiot. I wouldn’t throw away this line placement with the Sedins for anything”.

Alex Edler – “There, you happy? I got a goal. How many games of awful defensive play will that buy me before people call me out on it?”

Dan Hamhuis – “I’m trying to take some of the heat off Edler this year. So far, I’d say I’m doing a fantastic terrible job”.

Jason Garrison – “I’m having a great year, you know, but I’m just focused on playing my role here in Vancouver as an attainable Shea Weber”.

Chris Higgins – “I’m either going to admit to being injured or admit to hitting an old gypsy woman with my car. Either way, I’m not scoring anytime soon”.

(Can we start calling him “Curse Higgins”? That would make my day)

You can follow j.Bow on twitter (@jBowmancouver). He hopes Cory Schneider wins 80 games this season.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/09/canucksdevils-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real-2/feed/0Boothquotejbowman85NJDlogoCanucks logo(Can we start calling him "Curse Higgins"? That would make my day)Canucks Overlooked News: Cory Schneider not the only former Canuck returning tonighthttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/08/canucks-overlooked-news-schneider-not-the-only-former-canucks-returning-tonight/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/08/canucks-overlooked-news-schneider-not-the-only-former-canucks-returning-tonight/#commentsTue, 08 Oct 2013 18:33:51 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=131143Hey you, guy who lives under rock, did you know Cory Schneider is returning to Rogers Arena tonight to face the Canucks? You did? Well I’m not surprised seeing as how everyone who can talk is talking about it and …]]>Hey you, guy who lives under rock, did you know Cory Schneider is returning to Rogers Arena tonight to face the Canucks? You did? Well I’m not surprised seeing as how everyone who can talk is talking about it and everyone who can write is writing about it.

While I’m sure that even people who speak sign language have been going crazy discussing the biggest story of this young Canucks season so far, I’m… actually kinda sick of it. It’s a big angle, don’t get me wrong, but it’s times like this I feel the need to mine for another story or some overlooked news that is getting ignored due to the WalMart of stories.

And I found one.

Cory Schneider is not the only ex-Canuck returning tonight, as there is another who is primed to make a huge statement against his former team. This player was once thought to be the key to the Canucks’ success and the missing piece we needed to win multiple Stanley Cups. He was heralded as one of the finest pure players this franchise has ever known, and I feel sorry for my children that they will have never had the opportunity to see this guy play live.

Of course I’m talking about Steve Bernier.

(AKA Justin Biebier)

Tuesday October 8th, 2013 will be known, now and forever throughout history as “The Returnier of Bernier”.

Bernier lit this town on fire (poor choice of words) during his tenure here and most fans wondered if they were indeed seeing the second coming of Pavel Bure. He set career highs in assists and points during his first season here, and I have no doubt that if he were to stay, we’d have another Art Ross winner in our franchises history.

I’m not going to say he would have won the Hart trophy, perhaps that is a bit too much, but I know that we’d all be calling the Sedin line “the Bernier line with those two other guys who look the same” if we were still lucky enough to have him.

(Shown here playing with one hand, or as he calls it: the 2nd period)

My only regret during Bernier’s brief tenure here is that he wasn’t given a shot to win the starting goaltender job. The whole “goalie controversy” between Luongo and Schneider could’ve easily been between Bernier and Luongo if the former had been given an opportunity. Plus, it could have saved the Canucks tons of money on goalie equipment, as Bernier was so awesome and manly he would probably refuse to wear standard goalie gear while in net. Hell, the guy would probably go “Full Plante” out there.

(Opposing teams would have simply given up trying to score on him)

Being a fan of the Canucks, I own many Canucks jerseys. I’ve got them from all the eras: Linden/McLean/Bure skate jerseys, Stan Smyl flying V, Naslund orca, Luongo 40th Anniversary and the list goes on. Without a doubt, my most prized jersey possession is my “limited edition” Steve Bernier jersey, limited only because his time here was also that. Don’t believe me? Here is a picture of me kissing it.

One of the worst days of my entire life was June 25th, 2010. The Canucks made their biggest mistake in franchise history and sent Steve “first ballot hall of fame” Bernier (and Michael Grabner, who kidding aside turned out to be pretty damn good) to the Florida Panthers for Keith Ballard.

With that trade, I was robbed of years and years of great Bernier memories to come. We all were robbed really, and that’s why we should be mad at Mike Gillis. Worst move of his tenure, and maybe the worst move in all of sports… and in history. The Canucks losing the Stanley Cup in 2011 is as a result of “The Curse of the Bern-bino”, I just hope we don’t deal with that curse as long as the Boston Red Sox did.

(If not hockey than “something” with computers. Pssh, he could do “anything” with computers)

So after being reminded that “King Bernier” will also be on the ice tonight, is the real story Cory Schneider’s return to Vancouver?

Yes. Yes it is.

But I did whatever I could to give you something else to read, no matter how factually inaccurate or downright insane my statements were. In case you read this and thought to yourself “this guy is an idiot”, while that may be true, this article wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. You want serious, check out the 2,351 stories about Schneider coming back, you can’t miss ’em. You want a slight distraction and a positive waste of 5 minutes of your day?

Then this is the Steve Bernier of articles. Take that however you like.

(This is the wall above my bed today… and every day!)

You can follow j.Bow on twitter (@jBowmancouver). This was full of false statements, fake opinions and untrue facts, but he actually does own a Bernier jersey. Don’t ask…

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/08/canucks-overlooked-news-schneider-not-the-only-former-canucks-returning-tonight/feed/0steve-bernier-titlejbowman85CorySchniederkidswall(Shown here teaching Justin Bieber how to do his hair)(Shown here playing with one hand, or as he calls it: the 2nd period)(Opposing teams would have simply given up trying to score on him)photo(3)(If not hockey than "something" with computers. Pssh, he could do "anything" with computers)(This is the wall above my bed today... and every day!)Canucks trade 2nd rounder and Kevin Connauton for Derek Royhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/04/02/canucks-trade-2nd-rounder-and-kevin-connauton-for-derek-roy/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/04/02/canucks-trade-2nd-rounder-and-kevin-connauton-for-derek-roy/#commentsTue, 02 Apr 2013 17:13:01 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=113624Mike Gillis did something! For all those Canucks fans sitting on the sidelines watching other teams make trades (Ok, watching the Pittsburgh Penguins make trades), today was a welcome relief for them as Mike Gillis went out and addressed his …]]>Mike Gillis did something! For all those Canucks fans sitting on the sidelines watching other teams make trades (Ok, watching the Pittsburgh Penguins make trades), today was a welcome relief for them as Mike Gillis went out and addressed his teams needs at center by acquiring Derek Roy from the Dallas Stars.

Some quick notes on Derek Roy:

– Peaked at 81 points in 2008, but is usually a 40-60 point player

– Was playing on the Stars 3rd line before he was dealt, so he should feel at home on the Canucks 3rd line A, 3rd line B, and 3rd line C set up they have going on

– He wore number 9 in Buffalo and number 11 in Dallas. With number 11 being off limits unless you’re a dick in Vancouver, that leaves Roy with the option of buying off Zack Kassian (a six pack and a box of donuts might do it), or choosing a new number.

– He is a fan of screaming:

(Tag team screaming? Geezus, imagine him playing with Raffi Torres. They’d be screaming at each other for hours.)

– Buffalo fans made him into a dancing Unicorn for some reason:

(That’s either intimidating or creepy. Or both.)

– He scores pretty goals and follows that up by running the goalie over. Which means he should fit in well in Vancouver:

– He scores pretty goals that make grown men cry:

– He is not a good fighter (He prefers the fetal position defense):

– Steve Bernier once saved his life by fighting off Dan Hamhuis. Seriously.

Aside from that, this trade looks very solid for the Canucks. Center wise, when Kesler is healthy, they will have Hank, Kes, Roy and Lappy down the middle, with Schroeder as the backup. They could also use Kes on the wing possibly if they want to go that route.

As I pointed out in my Canucks Trade Deadline History, 2nd rounders are hit and miss, so I am not too concerned about that, as long as the Canucks don’t trade away every draft pick they own like they did in 2006.

Kevin Connauton? Well, he was an offensively minded, left shooting d-man, which means he had a long road ahead of him to crack the Canucks lineup. To his credit, he was working to improve his play in his own end, but the Canucks had an obvious need at center, and with right shooting Frank Corrado in the pipeline, giving up Connauton was probably an easy decision for the Canucks to make.

Will that be it? Will the Canucks add more? We shall find out!

*cough*Raffi Torres *cough*

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/04/02/canucks-trade-2nd-rounder-and-kevin-connauton-for-derek-roy/feed/0derekroykidr0llPosted ImageCanucks and offer sheets go way backhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/03/04/canucks-and-offer-sheets-go-way-back/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/03/04/canucks-and-offer-sheets-go-way-back/#commentsMon, 04 Mar 2013 17:35:53 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=109819Earlier this week, the Calgary Flames decided to spice things up by metaphorically winding up and attempting to kick the Colorado Avalanche straight in the nuts. They did this by signing Avalanche restricted free agent Ryan O’Reilly to a two …]]>Earlier this week, the Calgary Flames decided to spice things up by metaphorically winding up and attempting to kick the Colorado Avalanche straight in the nuts. They did this by signing Avalanche restricted free agent Ryan O’Reilly to a two year, $10 million dollar offer sheet. Long story short, the deal was structured to be as annoying as possible for the Avalanche to match the deal. Sadly for Flames fans (or maybe happily, this was on oddly bad deal for both teams involved), the Avs matched offer a few hours later, and then gave a short press conference where they politely called the Flames a bunch of jerks.

The mean spirited structured offer sheet has a long and storied past in the NHL, highlighted most famously by Joe Sakic being offered a $21 million dollar 3 year deal in 1997 (The Rangers signed Sakic to the deal, hoping the money would be too much for the cash concious Avalanche. The Avs matched the offer and proceeded to call the Rangers a bunch of jerks. Politely, of course.), and Sergei Fedorov, then with the Detroit Red Wings, being offered a deal worth up to $38 million dollars by the Carolina Hurricanes. The best part about Carolina’s offer was that it had a $12 million dollar signing bonus for making the conference finals that year, something the Red Wings, the previous years Stanley Cup winners, were highly likely to do, and the Carolina Hurricanes, still dealing with the fact they were covered in the stench of the Whalers losing history, were most likely not going to do. Detroit matched the offer, but there is no word if they politely called the Hurricanes a bunch of jerks. Apparently 1997 was an angry vindictive year for general managers.

This brings us to the Vancouver Canucks, who are no strangers to the offer sheet. They have been involved in five offer sheet situations, and while not all of them were as contentious as the Fedorov or Sakic situation, they still warrant a fun look back at.

Petr Nedved – 1994

Remember Petr Nedved? The guy the Canucks drafted instead of Jaromir Jagr? Yeah, that guy! He was the first player that got the Canucks involved in the offer sheet process. Now you have to remember, this offer sheet happened back in a time when teams could offer up players and picks of their own choosing as compensation, and then an arbitrator would decide what the team would get. This is how the Devils ended up with Scott Stevens, in one of the greatest “Ok, this league might be a joke” moments of NHL history. Regardless, the Canucks ended up getting Craig Janney in return, except hold up, Janney isn’t so enamoured with that idea, he refuses to report, the Canucks cry foul, and they end up getting Jeff Brown, Brett Hedican and Nathan “Post” Lafayette instead. This set the stage for that improbable 1994 Stanley Cup run, which of course, was ruined by Nathan “Post” Lafayette.

Mattias Ohlund – 1997

Ah, 1997, the year of the angry offer sheet. Many Vancouver fans might not remember, but the Toronto Maple Leafs tried their hand at pushing the buttons of notorious cheap skate Pat Quinn. Ohlund, who the Canucks had been unable to sign for four years since they had drafted him, was eligible to re-enter the NHL draft again when the Leafs stepped in. The deal Toronto offered was a $10 million over 5 year deal, which now might get you a down payment on a condo in West Van, but back in 1997, that much money could have bought you Burnaby. Quinn, who was initially baulking at paying Ohlund the rookie maximum of 850,000 a year, ended up matching the $10 million dollar deal. 1997 ladies and gentlemen.

Ryan Kesler – 2006

Ryan Kesler was an exciting young player coming off of a decent rookie season in which he showed that he had the ability to play in the NHL. His rookie deal was up and his next contract should have been around $550,000. The Flyers however, decided that Kesler looked more like a $1.9 million dollar kind of guy, so they offered him a $1.9 million dollar deal for one year. Dave Nonis sighed heavily in public for several days but eventually ended up matching the offer. With that signing, thus began the annual tradition of “What injury is Ryan Kesler hiding this time?” as Kesler broke himself twice in the 2006 season.

David Backes / Steve Bernier -2008

In what is perhaps the most pettiest of offer sheets in the entire history of NHL offer sheets, Backes and Bernier is an amusing tale of two GM’s flapping their hands in each others faces while making funny faces. It’s a simple story, really. Mike Gillis offer sheets David Backes to a 3 year deal. St. Louis screams at Vancouver but matches the deal. Vancouver has yet to sign recently acquired Steve Bernier to a new deal, so St. Louis says “how do you like them apples?” and signs Bernier to a one year deal. Vancouver pretends that’s cool, and matches the offer. Both sides walk away feeling slightly annoyed with each other.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/03/04/canucks-and-offer-sheets-go-way-back/feed/0santa_nedved_cardkidr0llAnd Boom Goes the Dynamite: Flames at Canucks, January 23rd, 3-2 Canucks (shootout)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/24/and-boom-goes-the-dynamite-flames-at-canucks-january-23rd-3-2-canucks-shootout/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/24/and-boom-goes-the-dynamite-flames-at-canucks-january-23rd-3-2-canucks-shootout/#commentsThu, 24 Jan 2013 10:46:57 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=105103WE DID IT! WE DID IT! Vancouver got the two whole points! Of course there was the usual 2013 Canucks 2-0 blown lead (2 out 3 games, that’s a trend guys, that’s straight up math right there), but the Canucks …]]>WE DID IT! WE DID IT! Vancouver got the two whole points! Of course there was the usual 2013 Canucks 2-0 blown lead (2 out 3 games, that’s a trend guys, that’s straight up math right there), but the Canucks managed to rally off of the back of….Zack “Cody Who?” Kassian? That’s right, Big Daddy Kass, The Kassassin, Kasstrator 1000 (still working on that one) had himself a huge game, and amazingly enough may have made himself even more popular in Vancouver than he was after knocking Ben Eager silly. Before we get to all the good stuff, though, let’s head over to Dr. Recchi for his thoughts on the game. Dr. Recchi?

Dr. Recchi’s Breakdown

– Dale Weise on the 2nd line? That worked out really well, didn’t it?

– Roberto Luongo didn’t stop a single puck all night, what a joke.

– Why do the Canucks even bother scoring two goals if they plan on blowing the lead away? People are starving in the world and you’re going to go and waste goals like that? Do you know how much Darcy Hordichuk would KILL for a goal? Selfish jerks.

– I think the Canucks should use Daniel Sedin in every shootout. That slow down and awkwardly run the puck into the goalies pad move works most of the time, I swear.

– The Flames didn’t get enough 5-3’s. I counted at least 78 other times the Canucks could have been penalized, due to them being dirty cheating scumbags.

Wyatt’s Game Breakdown

Well, the main storyline of tonight’s game to take away, was the play of Zack Kassian. He played like the player Canucks fans were told they were getting when Cody Hodgson was traded away at last years deadline. Fresh off of a Kassassination of Ben Eager the game before, Zack played well enough to earn him a spot on the Sedin’s line. Why the Canucks always seem to feel the need to find a better fit for that line than Burrows, I might never know, but in tonight’s case, the versatile Burrows was playing centre on the thirsecoforth line (2nd? 3rd? 4th? I don’t know), which meant Big Kass got the call. Kassian didn’t disappoint, as he was the Canucks most dangerous player all game long, winning puck battles, taking the puck strong to the net, and making smart passes with the Sedins to keep their cycle plays going. The worry of course is that Kassian is an inconsistent lad, so we might not see this kind of game all the time, but at least for one night, Canucks fans got to see what happens when he puts the entire package together. One can only hope he manages to play as consistent as Alex Edl…..ok, bad example, but the point is, if Kassian can continue playing this well, he might earn himself a juicy contract with loaded numbers from playing with the Sedins. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go to Anson Carter for any contract advice.

On to the game!

The Good (Pickles)

– Zack Kassian. I know I just went over it, but it bears repeating, he had himself a great game. The worst thing you can ever do to a budding power forward is whisper the name “Steve Bernier…”, but Kassian showed why he is anything but a Bernier in the making. Kassian is aware of where the puck is, he has underrated passing skills, and most importantly, he doesn’t drive people into the boards and take a five minute major in game six of the finals.

– Zack Kassian’s shootout goal. This was the same goal he used to undress Roberto Luongo in a scrimmage this year, and he undressed Kiprusoff with the same move. Zack Kassian loves undressing goalies. OK wait, that came out wrong…Regardless, if you ever want to see a move that will make you fist pump and do a running chest bump with your buddy, this goal will do it.

The best part of that move? Kassian slides the puck back towards Kipper. “Hey man, you want this, here you go, OH SORRY, it went into the net.” Nice.

– Sedins were the best players early on before Kassian took over. And by best I mean they controlled the puck really well. They didn’t create a ton of chances, and they kind of disappeared down the stretch, but they showed signs of the dominating cycle game they are famous for AND Daniel almost threw a hit tonight. He might have slipped and fallen into someone, but I’m counting that as a hit.

– Cory Schneider’s legs looked amazing tonight. OK, I really need to work on my phrasing… Cory Schneider had a strong game, and on three different occasions he did the splits and used his legs to keep the puck from being forced in the nets. I might find this more amazing than most because when I try and do the splits I tear things and start crying, but it was nice to see Cory bounce back and put out a great performance.

– Mason “Ice Man” Raymond once again showed why his agent argued that Raymond should be paid based purely on his performances against Calgary. Mason Raymond has, for reasons unbeknownst to me, chosen the Calgary Flames as the one team he decides to be Pavel Bure against. Well, Pavel Bure minus the moves. And the illegal elbows. And the passing. OK, Raymond plays really well against Calgary is all I am saying. The craziest part about Raymond’s game tonight? He went into the SLOT. And then he SCORED. Raymond, slot, scored. I think we need to tattoo that on his face so he sees it in the mirror every night. Granted, it was on the powerplay, so the slot was open, BUT I DON’T CARE. Even on the powerplay Raymond tries to avoid the slot because he’s pretty sure the outer faceoff circle is trying to catch him with his head down….

– Ballard and Tanev played really well tonight. They both had “Oh crap, they are so screwed now” moments, but they handled them calmly, and made the right play 95% of the time. There is hope yet!

– A quick shout out to Jordan Schroeder who had a solid, if not unspectacular performance. He didn’t do a ton to get noticed out there, but that is a great game for a rookie playing his first game. He made some good passes, and won a battle down low against Bouwmeester to help set up Dale Weise right in the slot, but since Dale Weise hates Schroeder, he decided to shoot high.

The Bad (Mushrooms)

– Dale Weise, who looked strong last game, got a chance to play with Raymond and recently called up Jordan Schroeder, and didn’t have an impact game like I was hoping he’d have. I only wish he did better because I really thought he would continue on with his trend of having good games recently, but he wasn’t that noticeable tonight.

– Bieksa and Garrison continue to not do a whole lot offensively during the start of this season. Garrison apparently has an issue with the back boards, as he refuses to hit the net with his shot, and “Casual Kevin” was seen a couple of times tonight, which is never a good thing for plus/minus enthusiasts. What was nice was seeing “Angry Bieksa” show up, you remember him, the guy who beat up Marleau? He decided to dish out a big hit on Glencross in the first period.

– Seriously, that Daniel shootout attempt was horrendous. It almost made it to the Ugly column, but I had to reserve enough space in there for Edler. *SPOILER ALERT*

– Blowing another 2-0 lead. I understand the Canucks are super committed to being the worst 2nd period team in all of hockey, but come on, enough with the blowing of the two goal lead.

The Ugly (Olives)

– Alex Edler. The one thing about Edler, is his consistency. On some nights, he plays so well you openly wonder if Nashville would trade Shea Weber for him. On other days, you openly wonder if Nashville would let Edler borrow a Weber t-shirt while Edler sits in the press box. He is so up and down, and when he is down, and his offence isn’t working, he can be really frustrating to watch. From the penalty for closing his hand on the puck (or as Yahoo states, 2 minutes for being Alex Edler), to the two awful awful giveaways he had in this game, Edler did not have a game to remember. He’s getting paid the big bucks next year, he better ask Ballard how much fun it is to play with a big contract and not live up to expectations. “People say mean things, man. They hurt your feelings. “

– Alain Vigneault’s shootout choices. For some reason AV thought it would be cool and create more suspense if he chose Kassian to go 5th in the shootout. Rather than end it on three, he decided, “you know what, let’s leave the guy who was on fire tonight, the guy who I have seen bust out a killer move in the shootout before, let’s leave him until 5th, should it get there.” What’s the deal, man? Let the Kassassin go!

– I lied, Daniel’s shootout attempt made it here, too. It was bad AND ugly.

– The Sportsnet camera angles. I guess Sportsnet directors were watching Cops one day and thought “man, that should happen in hockey”, so they introduced the randomly awkward to watch camera angles for the game tonight. On one shootout attempt the camera decided to follow Tanguay from behind at ice level, from kind of off to the side. It was as awkward as a grade 8 dance where the girl you don’t like asks you to dance and you have to pretend you didn’t hear her. “What? The music, it’s so loud. OK, talk to you later!” Stick to the basics!

– Tanev’s shot. His first shot of the game is just now hitting the net, that’s how slow it is.

The Canucks take two from the Flames, and only give one back to them, so I say that’s a solid win for the Canucks. All I ask for next game is to skip from a 1-0 lead, and just go straight to a 4-0 lead. (There’s a three point line in hockey, right?)

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/01/24/and-boom-goes-the-dynamite-flames-at-canucks-january-23rd-3-2-canucks-shootout/feed/0schneiderpulledkidr0lldr_recchiwyattedlerpenNHL Cancels September pre-season gameshttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/09/20/nhl-cancels-september-pre-season-games/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/09/20/nhl-cancels-september-pre-season-games/#commentsThu, 20 Sep 2012 08:18:30 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=89617By now most of you have heard that he NHL has cancelled all pre-season games through to September 30th. Now, I know the easy jokes were already made about how this is good for the Canucks. That the Canucks …]]>By now most of you have heard that he NHL has cancelled all pre-season games through to September 30th. Now, I know the easy jokes were already made about how this is good for the Canucks. That the Canucks sleepwalk through pre-season anyways. That the Canucks waste the pre-season, testing out bizarre lineups, like that time they tried (unsuccessfully) to dress a lineup consisting of only players named “Aaron”. (Rome played 60 minutes that night and was -38, but damn it, he finished the game. He finished that game.)

However, as much as we joke about it being a good thing that the pre-season was cancelled, in a sad attempt to pretend we don’t miss hockey (“See you later hockey. We don’t care if you come back. No, seriously. Go then. FINE. LEAVE. See if we care. I’m not crying. I’m just allergic to a-holes.”), this actually is a good thing, because honestly, pre-season games absolutely suck. I say this being one of the biggest hockey fans around. Now I know, many of you will look at me with disgust in your eyes and say “But Wyatt….any hockey is good hockey….except for the 2003 Minnesota Wild games. Aside from that, any hockey is good hockey.” Well, yes, in a romantic sense, any hockey is good hockey, but in reality, it’s just not a good time. Full disclosure, I say this as a season ticket holder. I don’t say to brag, I only say that for context, in that I have seen my attendance at pre-season games start off at “OMFG HOCKEY EFF YEAH, I AM GOING TO WATCH EVERY SINGLE PRE-SEASON GAME THERE IS” back in 2001 to “Dear god, why won’t anyone buy my tickets for $5. Hell, I will pay YOU $5 to go to the exhibition game” in 2012.

Here are the common things told to me as to why pre-season hockey is great:

1) It’s hockey

2) You get to see young players in the system

3) It’s cheap

One the first point, yes, it is hockey, but it’s not very good hockey. And who can blame them, you often have players from all different levels of hockey playing together with each other for the first time. Add to that you have players so nervous to be at a big camp (Hey Cody, what’s up) that they play like garbage. Not only that, if you do happen to see a young player excel, odds are it’s nothing more than a myth, which brings me to the second point; there is a reason I have Steve Karyia, Fedor Fedorov, and Sergei Shirokov jerseys in my closet that I can never wear again. Young players, while fun to watch, rarely show us any thing of substance in regards to their NHL careers during pre-season. Those jerks don’t make it easy on us, unless they are the latest Edmonton Oiler first overall draft pick.

The only reason pre-season games seem like a good thing is because we’ve been starved of hockey all summer long. We are so desperate to watch hockey again that we welcome low level exhibition hockey with open arms, so happy that we finally get to see highlights of a sport that doesn’t involve a super exciting play where they throw the ball to first base for the 18th time that game. (I enjoy baseball, I honestly do, but seriously, it has to be the worst “highlight” sport out there. Oh a double play, what does that look like, oh yeah, the same thing 95% of the time, nice. A homerun you say? Oh man, I can’t wait to see which seat it landed in.)

It’s like being really hungry. When you haven’t eaten in days, that’s when you decide to yourself that a 7-11 hamburger isn’t such a bad thing, in fact, it is a genius thing, IN FACT you don’t know why you don’t buy all of them right now to stockpile in your fridge so you can eat them for days. It all seems amazing due to not having a proper dietary plan.

One of the most common myths out there, of course, is that exhibition games are cheap. I myself assumed they would be included in the ticket package at a nominal cost, that the Canucks would just be happy having people show up for what usually ends up being a glorified game of shinny. Alas, the Canucks are like Steve Bernier on a forecheck in game 7 of the Finals, they just keep going after you no matter what. The Canucks charge full price for exhibition games, so instead of feeling like you are supporting the Canucks by going out to cheer on the little guys in the system, you are instead wondering why you are paying to see Igor Crouton, that late 7th rounder your team recently drafted, fall repeatedly into the boards, for full price tickets. I know this is a cynical way of looking at things, but it is what it is.

In the end, I usually try and find someone to give my tickets away to, maybe somebody with a kid who can’t afford a regular season game, which is always nice, but for the upper bowl kind of person like me, paying for 4-6 full priced exhibition games, that’s a solid chunk of change to swallow.

Still don’t believe me? Here is how my pre-season game experience usually goes.

*Arrive to arena. Excited to see hockey. Run to team store to pretend I might buy a jersey, but instead just try it on and take a picture of it for Twitter. That counts too, right?*

*Wander around arena avoiding all food and beer vendors, as I liked to have my wallet groped only during regular season games*

*Sit down to watch intro to game*

*Watch an intro to the game that tells me to get excited for the real intro for games, that will only be shown during regular season games*

*Cheer wildly as puck is dropped, then settle in for a long night of awkward hockey*

*Try and cheer on that one guy every year who tries to fight everyone*

*Try to figure out what number Igor Crouton is wearing*

*Realize that this game means nothing and that this first pre-season game is the furthest the Canucks will be from a Stanley Cup*

*Go back to food and drink vendors to try and drink away boredom*

Now, I know what many of you are saying. “Even with that being said, Wyatt, I would kill to go to a game, to experience hockey in Roger’s Arena, to get pictures of the players and to enjoy a night out.” And to that, I agree with you completely. I am completely jaded at this point about exhibition games, and I fully expect many of you to disagree with me. All I am saying is that the Canucks should cut the pre-season prices so we can happily donate the tickets to people who would love to attend a game can do so, without it crippling our wallets. Either do that, or cancel the pre-season games every year, because at least that way I won’t end up buying an Igor Crouton jersey.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/09/20/nhl-cancels-september-pre-season-games/feed/0croutonkidr0llhamCBA Negotiations ongoing – odd requests starting to appearhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/08/21/cba-negotiations-ongoing-odd-requests-starting-to-appear/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/08/21/cba-negotiations-ongoing-odd-requests-starting-to-appear/#commentsTue, 21 Aug 2012 20:45:20 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=85593As we are all painfully aware, the CBA negotiations are currently ongoing between the NHL and the NHLPA. We have all heard about the general terms being bandied about, as both sides fight for the main item at stake here, …]]>As we are all painfully aware, the CBA negotiations are currently ongoing between the NHL and the NHLPA. We have all heard about the general terms being bandied about, as both sides fight for the main item at stake here, which is of course the money. The rich owners want to be able to buy a new car that can drive their current car (‘Transformers are REAL!”) and the players want to be able to afford a small condo in Vancouver (keep dreaming guys).

However, I am hearing from some inside sources, that there are many players demanding certain, very specific clauses for the new CBA. Many players, disillusioned with the way the owners are turning on a CBA that the owners themselves created, are now standing their ground to ensure that they at least gain some minor concessions. They don’t want to give up a giant part of the revenue only to see the owners demanding more concessions at the conclusion of the next CBA. The players are starting to realize they can probably gain the most through non monetary ways.

Just what are these concessions you ask? Well, luckily my inside source, a man calling himself Hockeyy Insiderr, has given me all the details. I assume he has to be legit because he has a twitter handle, his mom seemed really nice when I talked to her on the phone trying to reach him, and he super double rainbow promised me that he was for real, super serious. It doesn’t get more legit than that. (This is where the people hoping for a serious article can now scroll straight to the bottom to post the “Why does the Province publish this garbage??”)

So just what are these concessions and who is making them? Here is a recap of the latest player discussions:

Ryan Kesler

– Kes is demanding that body fat percentage be taken into account for all new contracts. You get $1,000,000 awarded for being between 5-12% body fat. Kyle Wellwood was vehemently opposed to this idea.

Alex Burrows

– He has asked that every year they celebrate “Beat Stephen Auger” Day, which is a holiday apparently celebrated by Burrows every January. Supposedly you go out and find Auger and kick him until he falls, then you scream “DIVER!” at him repeatedly. There is little support for this idea.

David Booth

– He has asked that whenever the CBA gets signed, that people celebrate by shooting something. Anything. So long as they get to shoot something. He then polished his gun for five hours straight muttering about “evil Satan bears”.

Milan Lucic

– Is demanding that players get personal servants to announce their presence when departing an airplane and entering a new city. “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??” will simply become “DO YOU KNOW WHO HE IS??”

Brad Marchand

– He is supposedly asking for potpourri in all locker rooms. Due to his large nose, the hockey fumes from equipment effect him more than others. Kevin Bieksa asked if Marchand could even spell ‘potpourri’, and Brad managed to get to “pot” before breaking down in tears.

Daniel Sedin

– Daniel quickly asked if part of the CBA could be if he would be allowed to punch Brad Marchand for such a stupid request. Talks had to be halted for 40 minutes for a “time out” period.

Henrik Sedin

– After the recess, Henrik asked for the same thing Daniel did, that being if they could all punch Brad Marchand. It was later revealed that Daniel just asked the same question again, but everyone assumed it was Henrik. Another 40 minute timeout took place.

Before another demand could be discussed, David Booth accidentally shot the Bruins mascot, thinking it was in fact a real bear. After 20 minutes of scrubbing with bleach, it was agreed upon to never mention the “Bear” incident ever again. It was then agreed upon that the new Bruins mascot would be a uptight Unicorn who gets easily angered when someone takes his parking spot. “Unipark” will be introduced sometime next season.

Roberto Luongo

– Luongo demanded that TV’s be installed in all arena washrooms and that the wifi coverage be extended to the washrooms as well. Luongo then demanded a washroom break.

Rick Nash

– Nash demanded that the CBA have a provision in it that would trade him from Columbus. When assured that he was already traded from Columbus, Nash apologized and claimed he was just used to asking for that.

Jeff Carter

– Jeff said he had nothing to ask for, because he already had everything he needed. Mike Richards than started polishing his gold medal and Jeff Carter quietly sat down.

Gregory Campbell

– He claimed he didn’t know what the big deal was and that everyone should just calm down and accept what the owners gave them. He then asked if anyone had a towel so he could wipe the sweat off of his hidden tape recorder.

Dustin Byfuglien

– Dustin demanded to know which way to the party cruiser, then pointed at his pants and claimed “Oh looks like we’re already there!” before collapsing in a pile of Kokanees

Chris Higgins

– Wished for ear plugs to be handed out to players for the on ice warmups, as his ear drums get hurt by all the ladies screaming over his abs. Kyle Wellwood once again voiced his displeasure at this idea.

Jannik Hansen

– He didn’t ask anything, he just made sure to keep Iginla stuck in the corners, unable to get to the slot all meeting long. He then dropped the gloves and fought Toews because “his eyebrows were mocking me”.

Sadly, with the meeting finally gaining some momentum, Steve Bernier ran Fehr from behind, thus putting an end to the talks for the day. I will make sure to update you all once I hear more from Hockeyy Insiderr, after he is done his recess break.

Since it’s Friday, I really have nothing better to do than respond to them. “There are some questions that the Canucks will have to answer over the course of the season if they want to stay atop the NHL and remain a legitimate Stanley Cup contender,” Rosen deduces. “Here are five worth pondering right now.”

1. WHEN WILL RYAN KESLER MAKE HIS SEASON DEBUT?

It’s a good question, and one many Vancouverites would love to known the answer to, but the reality is we don’t know. Luckily, before even trying to answer this question, Rosen asks a better question:

Perhaps the better question is will Kesler ever be the same player he was two seasons ago, when he scored 41 goals and won the Selke Trophy?

So You’re An Expert has an excellent post on Ryan Kesler from this week, and many fans and media fall into the trap of percentages, reputation, role and expectations. The real answer is that a lot of things went right for Kesler in 2011, and, no, he isn’t actually a 41-goal scorer.

2. HOW WILL B.C. NATIVE JASON GARRISON FARE AFTER SIGNING A BIG CONTRACT?

Richer? I don’t know, Rosen asserts that Garrison cashed in on “a” big season, rather than “two” big seasons, which are the only two full seasons Garrison has spent in the NHL. He won’t score as much, which will lead people like Dan Rosen to question the signing.

3. IS CHRIS TANEV READY FOR A FULL-TIME ROLE?

Yes. But that’s not even a question. That’s like asking if peanut butter is ready to be spread with jam.

Maybe the question should be “does Dan Rosen not know was a top-six forward produces like”?

If Booth plays a full season, scores 20-plus goals and produces 50-plus points, the Canucks would be happy.

A lot of people don’t understand how few players score 50 points. Only 100 forwards do, which means that 50 points is closer to being “top-three” production rather than “top-six” production. If David Booth cracks the top 120 in the league in scoring, he’s a good top-six forward, period.

They need to see some consistency out of a player who is signed for three more seasons with a cap hit of $4.25 million.

Never forget: A 10-goal scorer is more consistent than a 30-goal scorer.

5. WILL ZACK KASSIAN DEVELOP INTO THE RUGGED WINGER THE CANUCKS NEED?

Finally, we have asked an interesting question.

Vancouver traded for Kassian hoping he would become the bruiser it was missing in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. If he turns into Milan Lucic, well let’s just say the Canucks wouldn’t complain.

Why can’t Kassian just be his own player? People want to set ridiculous goal-posts. If Nail Yakupov turns into Marian Gaborik, the Edmonton Oilers will be happy, but since he’s the best scoring winger in the league, that’s a silly thing to expect.

I think the Oilers would be happy if Yakupov became Matt Moulson. Similarly, I think the Canucks would be happy if Kassian became anybody better than Steve Bernier.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/08/17/five-obvious-questions-about-the-canucks-an-nhl-com-writer-asked-nobody/feed/0camcharronWho will be the dynamic duos down the road for the Vancouver Canucks?http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/18/who-will-be-the-dynamic-duos-down-the-road-for-the-vancouver-canucks/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/18/who-will-be-the-dynamic-duos-down-the-road-for-the-vancouver-canucks/#commentsWed, 18 Jul 2012 20:38:17 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=82382VANCOUVER – In hindsight, putting Alex Burrows on a line with the Sedins and moving Ryan Kesler to the second line looks like a no-brainer.
But looking back at the 2008-09 season, you could understand Alain Vigneault’s reluctance to split …]]>VANCOUVER – In hindsight, putting Alex Burrows on a line with the Sedins and moving Ryan Kesler to the second line looks like a no-brainer.
But looking back at the 2008-09 season, you could understand Alain Vigneault’s reluctance to split up the defensive duo.
In fact, that’s how Vigneault looked at forwards, not as lines comprising a centre and two wings, but pairs of forwards, the third member of the line one of a platoon of wingers.
Once Mats Sundin joined the Canucks midway through ’08-09, Vigneault’s two-man units were Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Sundin and Pavol Demitra, and Kesler/Burrows.
The rest were a rotating roster of role players: Steve Bernier, Kyle Wellwood, Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Taylor Pyatt.
We bring this up for two reasons: Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman blogged about it on Wednesday on his wildly popular 30 Thoughts – http://tinyurl.com/862jmw8 – and we’re scratching our heads over where the concept disappeared to in Vigneault’s plans or, if indeed the duo directive is still part of Vigneault’s strategy, how he plans on implementing it this season.
Forget for the moment that Kesler won’t be back until late November, just look at last season.
The Sedins were effective, if not exactly Gretzky/Kurri or Lemieux/Jagr-like, but there was no two-man offensive unit after that.
The next closest two players came to being an effective duo were Cody Hodgson and Hansen, the two showing some offensive chemistry. But to do so, Hansen had to reinvent himself and quit being the grinding forechecker and relentless backchecker that had earned him employment in the NHL in the first place.
Kesler and David Booth? The only chemistry they displayed was the kind like when things don’t go right in the lab in Breaking Bad.
Friedman chatted to new Oilers coach Ralph Krueger on Monday and Krueger told Friedman he liked the duo idea: Perhaps Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins; Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky, with Taylor Hall roving back and forth.
Besides Vigneault, other successful coaches to deploy the duo scheme are Mike Babcock once he got to Detroit and Ken Hitchcock in his Dallas years.
The Canucks this season?
The Sedins remain in place, of course.
In the remote chance the Canucks sign Shane Doan, maybe he’s the one who can make music with Kesler, once the centre returns.
Or maybe Zack Kassian rounds into form and finds a fit with Kesler.
But that’s all pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey wishful thinking.
Surely the Canucks aren’t going to start the season with Andrew Ebbett or Max Lapierre or Chris Higgins or Jordan Schroeder as the No. 2 centre.
Help must be on the way.
In any case, once Vigneault gets back to town, it will be interesting to hear his take on the dynamics of duoism now.gordshockey@hotmail.comtwitter.com/gmacsports]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/18/who-will-be-the-dynamic-duos-down-the-road-for-the-vancouver-canucks/feed/1BurrKesResizedgordmcintyreSteve Bernier: The Hit That Shook The Worldhttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/06/12/steve-bernier-the-hit-that-shook-the-world/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/06/12/steve-bernier-the-hit-that-shook-the-world/#commentsTue, 12 Jun 2012 17:13:09 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=77792(Yes, I made the title epic. Deal with it.)

Congratulations to the LA Kings on their well deserved victory. Having watched the Canucks win the Cup last year, it fills my heart with joy to share that experience with other…..oh …

]]>(Yes, I made the title epic. Deal with it.)

Congratulations to the LA Kings on their well deserved victory. Having watched the Canucks win the Cup last year, it fills my heart with joy to share that experience with other…..oh wait….

Screw LA. Freaking Kings, making it look so easy. Where were their horrible injuries? Huh? Where was Drew Doughty exploding his intestines throwing a hip check? Where was Kopitar’s hip disintegrating trying to kill a penalty? Where was Mike Richards having his back broken being shoved into the boards?? Bah!

Ahem. With that bitterness out of the way, once again congratulations to the…..to…..to the LA…..congratu……congratulations to Willie Mitchell! Well done Willie, you made BC proud!

With that being said, one of the main talking points of the Finals will of course be the Steve Bernier hit. Even if you weren’t watching hockey that night, at one point you probably felt a chill go through your body and it was at that point you realized a Canuck or ex-Canuck had done something naughty. I remember this happening back when Bertuzzi punched Steve Moore, except that chill was accompanied by me sobbing into a towel and trying to refund my playoff tickets. For those that missed the Bernier hit, here it is in all its glory:

Now, an argument will be made to have Steve Bernier entered into sports lore, right beside Steve Bartman, Bill Buckner, Nathan Lafayette, Scott Norwood, etc etc… And believe me, I love to blame a player for their misgivings, and hang an entire series on their one mistake. Is it the right thing to do? No, of course not. But it helps me sleep at night thinking that there was only one single thing that went wrong that prevented a sporting victory, versus a ton of small things that went wrong. It just simplifies my disappointment, making it easier to take. Right, Nathan? You enjoying hitting that post, you jerk???

Having said that, one would think I would be all over Bernier for this hit, as it is a very easy target to go after. Surprisingly, I wish to argue otherwise.

I admit, at high speed, it looked like Steve Bernier murdered Rob Scuderi. If you watched it live it appeared that Steve Bernier was carrying a sword above his head, screaming about “Carpe Diem!” and then pulled off a move that even The Rock would call “a little over the top.” Looking at in slow motion, however, it tells me a different tale.

Screen 1:

In screen one, we see all is well with the world. A linesman is showing Doughty his best impersonation of a scarecrow (fun fact, the linesman actually smacks Doughty in the face when he calls the play onside), Jonathan Quick is trying to see if Alyssa Milano got his text, and Steve Bernier is hunting down the puck. Nothing unusual here.

Screen 2:

Screen 2 shows that Doughty amazingly didn’t dive upon initial contact with another human being, always a positive sign, and Bernier is still chasing down Scuderi. Quick is letting Scuderi know that Bernier is coming or to play the puck to the boards, or else Quick just likes to point at things in the crowd. He could be pointing at the infamous woman behind Pete DeBoer.

Screen 3:

From this frame you can see why Bernier went into “hit” mode as he sees Scuderi turning to go behind the net. At this point if a hit was delivered, it would be a legal hit.

Screen 4:

We are now within 10 feet of the hit, and even at this point, Bernier could make contact and it would be shoulder to shoulder, and at the very worst, it would be squishing Scuderi like a pancake (calm down Penner, not a real pancake) from the side.

Screen 5:

This is where we start to get that “uh oh….” feeling. The feeling that something bad is about to happen. Scuderi is trying to play the puck back to Drew Doughty and is turning into the boards, with his head down. In NHL 12 this would be a prime time to land a hit, cuss out your opponent, and high five your friends. In real life, this is where you close your eyes and look away because you know it’s not going to be pretty.

Screen 6:

At this point, Bernier is still at top speed so there isn’t a whole lot he is going to be able to do. Well, technically he could have thrown himself into the boards instead, which I know he is proficient at (Before Berniering 2012 happened, Berniering used to mean throwing yourself at high speeds into the boards. He did this multiple times in Vancouver.), but again, in a fast game like hockey, and when you watch this at live speed, you can see how it might be hard to change up your intentions that quickly.

Screen 7:

And boom goes the dynamite. Bernier drops the hammer. Effectively plowing Scuderi from behind. And thus ending the Devils chances a the Cup.

Screen 8:

This was the only time I felt Bernier went over the line on the play. Bringing out a cannon AND a raptor? Overkill dude. Overkill.

End result? Steve Bernier ended the Devil’s chances that night, but I don’t feel it is as bad as many think. Should Bernier be coming in that fast to throw hits in a pivotal game? Perhaps not. But that is part of the problem. If Bernier isn’t delivering hits and throwing his weight around, he won’t be in the NHL. Believe me, I have seen Bernier try and play a skill game, and it is not pretty. If there is an empty net in the world somewhere, odds are Steve Bernier will show up seconds later and put a puck just wide of it. He misses tap in goals so regularly that one would think that it was a skill in and of itself. Steve Bernier does not have good hands. As a result, he needs to play a physical game and he needs to land big hits to keep himself in the lineup. Unfortunately this ended up with the worst results imaginable for him during game six, but I find it hard to blame everything on Steve.

Let’s not also forget the Devils were in an 0-3 hole. That doesn’t allow for any mistakes. If it wasn’t a Bernier misconduct, it could very well have been Parise sneezing and losing the puck in his own zone leading to a goal. All it would take is one bad bounce, and with no wiggle room, the Devils were done. The entire team has to take responsibility for being down 0-3.

Let’s not also forget this is a franchise that has won three Stanley Cups in the last 20 years, and at one point had a blue line led by hall of famers Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer. Forgive me if I don’t feel that Bernier’s mistake is quite as crushing to a club that has never won the ultimate prize. Saying “Man, I will NEVER forgive Steve Bernier, because of him I missed out on seeing the Devils win a fourth Stanley Cup!!” doesn’t hold as much weight as “The Canucks have never won a Stanley Cup. Why did Nathan Lafayette have to hit the post?? Why??”

The person who feels the worst about all of this will be Steve Bernier. The flight home would have been filled with an awkward “it wasn’t your fault” talk with everyone on the plane, and the worst part would be that Bernier probably forgot to charge his iPhone, so he couldn’t even listen to music to shut out his inner demons. So while it might be easy to blame Steve for costing the Devils the series, I will stand by my claim that it wasn’t as bad as people will make it out to be. I hope Bernier’s career isn’t defined by this penalty, because as much as I joke about him, he came across as a very decent and friendly guy during his time in Vancouver. However I also know how the human mind likes to simplify things, so that might be a steep hill to climb for Bernier to get over. Good luck Steve, you will probably need it.

You probably don’t remember me, but I was that guy at that game who cheered really loudly when you made that good play during one of the periods. I was always a big fan of yours Willie, and …

]]>Hi Willie,

You probably don’t remember me, but I was that guy at that game who cheered really loudly when you made that good play during one of the periods. I was always a big fan of yours Willie, and with tonight being your third chance to win the Stanley Cup, I just wanted to write you a letter, letting you know that I fully support you. Begrudgingly.

Make no mistake about it Willie, I used to hate you. I remember absolutely loathing you in 2003, back when you were on the Wild, driving pre-homicidal Bertuzzi nuts. It seemed like every other play, there you were, up in Bert’s face, giving him the business. Nothing hurt more than seeing that 2003 team fall to the Wild, knowing that the Naslund led Canucks just lost out on perhaps their best chance at winning a Cup, to a team that had a logo that resembled leprechaun vomit. I remember adding you to my list of people I would like to travel back in time to slap really really hard (You got number three, right behind Mark Messier and Nathan Lafayette), never thinking that one day you would be a Canuck.

Dave Nonis changed all of that when he signed you the year we got Luongo. I was ecstatic about this move, because I know that anytime I despise a player (assuming it isn’t Cloutier, Lafayette, or Messier) the odds are I despise them out of jealousy. Steve Yzerman in 2002? Hated him. Basically because on one leg, he managed to beat the Canucks. Not cool man, not cool. So when Nonis announced he had signed you to a multi year deal, I couldn’t be happier. Finally I got to cheer you on as you shut down other teams players, instead of watching you stopping the Canucks in their tracks. And watching you play here for four years, you didn’t disappoint.

Remember when you saved that goal from going in, swiping the puck off the line at the last second?

Remember when you took a puck to the face and manged to stay on the ice to block another shot with your foot?

Remember when you put Toews to sleep?

Remember the giant stick you used in warm-up to mock Mike Keenan with?

This is just a small sample of what you brought to the team. You brought hustle. You brought heart. You brought hard work. You brought dedication. You possessed all the qualities I thought a Canucks future captain should have. You made it impossible not to cheer you on.

Sure, we had a few hiccups (let’s not talk about clearing the puck out against Chicago), but for the most part, you were my favorite player on the team. When you were on the ice, people in Vancouver would scream “Willie!” from the stands, joyfully watching one of BC’s own playing his ass off, knowing you would be giving it your all on every shift.

After your four year deal was up, you signed with L.A. We will never know what happened, if you just wanted to out, or if Vancouver was the one who wanted to move on, but I understand this is a business so I held no hard feelings. I was just glad we got to watch you try and win a Cup here with Vancouver for four years.

Now, however, you find yourself one win away from a Stanley Cup. I am an extremely petty man at times, and it is hard for me to say this, but I hope you win Willie. I really hope you win the Cup. As much as it will pain me to deal with new LA “fans” talking about how kick ass their team is, as much as it will pain me to deal with real LA fans mocking me about how their team managed to do what he Canucks couldn’t do, I will be happy if you win a Cup. It kills me that you never won a Cup with Vancouver (You are in the “Trevor Linden” category of players I really really wanted to see win a Cup with Vancouver, were Vancouver ever to win a Cup), but I truly hope you win that Cup with LA. You deserve it Willie, and if anyone should be hosting that cup above their shoulders, it should be you.

That being said, as a personal favor, could you win in New Jersey in game 7? I don’t enjoy watching other fans being happy winning a Stanley Cup. There’s that pettiness again…

Also, could you accidentally smoke Dustin Brown in the face when handing him the Stanley Cup, should you win it?

Also, if you bring the Stanley Cup to BC, can you bring it on a day when it’s raining, so I can hide my tears when I watch you parade it around in a Kings jersey?

Thanks Willie. I knew you’d understand. Good luck tonight!

P.S. My apologies to Steve Bernier for not getting a letter. I will, however, give you a solid fist bump of approval should you end up winning the Cup.

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/06/11/dear-willie-mitchell/feed/0Mitchellkidr0llTeam Bernier vs Team Mitchell vs Team Pyatthttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/05/04/team-bernier-vs-team-mitchell-vs-team-pyatt/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/05/04/team-bernier-vs-team-mitchell-vs-team-pyatt/#commentsFri, 04 May 2012 18:46:17 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=73686As Canucks fans, many of us are still struggling to find a reason to be excited about playoff hockey. For some of us, simply being a fan of hockey is enough to make watching the games exciting. Well, not too …]]>As Canucks fans, many of us are still struggling to find a reason to be excited about playoff hockey. For some of us, simply being a fan of hockey is enough to make watching the games exciting. Well, not too exciting, because there is only so much you can do when watching New Jersey play to be excited about a dump in, but excited enough because playoff hockey is usually pretty damn good. But for others, the lack of an emotional connection with what they are watching just doesn’t allow them to fully embrace the hockey as much as they would like. Being a year removed from watching Ryan Kesler beating the Nashville Predators single handedly makes watching the LA Kings beat up Brian Elliott not as cool in comparison. Sitting on the edge of your seat and dying with every shot taken during game seven overtime against Chicago had just a bit more impact then searching for that cheetoh you lost in the couch while the Rangers and Capitals went to their third overtime period.

You know what will help this situation and make the playoffs a little more exciting for some Canuck fans though? Supporting ex-Canucks, that’s what. We here in Vancouver can be an incredibly loyal group of fans (and very petty. We are petoyal fans.), and as such, we should use that loyalty to support some of the ex-Canucks that are still in the hunt for Lord Stanley’s Cup. If we can’t live the dream of watching Henrik lifting the Stanley Cup this spring, why not at least watch somebody who has worn the Orca lift the Cup up?

Is this a tenuous concept to try and make the rest of the playoffs more exciting? Of course it is! But using weak arguments is what allows me to accept the Canucks trading away Cam Neely for Barry Pederson (People with two syllables in their first name win more cups you know. EXTREME stats tell me this.)

To make this easy for everyone, I have split the groups up into teams. Team Mitchell consists of Willie Mitchell. Team Bernier consists of Steve Bernier and Johan Hedberg. Team Pyatt consists of Taylor Pyatt, Adrian Aucoin, Jason Labarbera, Alex Bolduc, Raffi Torres, and why not throw on Giants legend Gilbert Brule on there. Team Sabourin of the Washington Capitals will not be playing because Dany “Bathroom Break Goalie” Sabourin is not worth the photoshop effort of getting his own t-shirt. So let’s break down the teams and then you can decide which group you will support!

Team Pyatt

Pyatt was chosen as the flag bearer for this group because let’s face it, just look at those eyes. He could ask you to invest in his ESPN website and give him $5000 and you would seriously consider doing it, that is how powerful those eyes are. But Team Pyatt is not just all about Pyatt himself. Team Pyatt boasts the largest amount of ex-Canucks left in this years playoffs, which is probably the biggest reason for most Canucks fans to support them. Let’s check out a highlight of them, shall we?

And let’s pretend I posted a video of Bolduc separating his shoulder 18 times, and of Aucoin scoring on his first NHL shot.

Pros:

– Raffi Torres has perhaps the best goal celebrations ever. When he scores a goal he looks like a crazed baboon who just found his first crack needle. Can you imagine what would happen if he won the Cup? Safe to say it would probably involve streaking, a Super Soaker 100, and re-enacting several scenes from Scarface.

– Adrian Aucoin was traded for Dan Cloutier. The man has suffered enough and took a huge bullet for this city. It would be nice to see him get rewarded for that.

– Jason Labarbera winning would make that Labarbera blocker and glove the Vancouver Canucks Team Store is always trying to sell shoot up in value.

– Watching Alex Bolduc separate his shoulder lifting the Cup would be worth a few laughs.

– Taylor Pyatt’s eyes would reflect really nicely off of the Stanley Cup.

– It would make your Winnipeg buddy sad that his ex-team won the Cup. Making fun of your Winnipeg buddies is always a good thing. The best way to do this is go “So hey, why did you guys give that team away again? I bet you feel pretty silly, now that they won a Cup. You guys probably should have kept that team, huh?” (Be warned, this will ALWAYS be matched with Nathan Lafayette and Mark Messier references.)

Cons:

– Raffi Torres would probably throw a huge check on the Stanley Cup and put it out for 2-3 months.

– Taylor Pyatt would be unable to pass the Stanley Cup well enough so it would just be a 30 minute celebration of Pyatt continually picking the Cup off of the ice and pushing it forward a few feet

– Alex Bolduc would beat out Alex Burrows in the race to be the first AB initial French Canadian to get their name on the Cup

– Labarbera having a Cup win means his name would have to be thrown back into the mix when deciding the Canucks starting goalie next year

– Gilbert Brule won’t be able to pick up Bono when hitchhiking anymore because there wouldn’t be room in the car for the Stanley Cup AND Bono.

– Adrian Aucoin played for the Flames as well, thus tainting our enjoyment of his victory.

Team Bernier

Steve Bernier was chosen as the face of this team because quite simply I had forgotten Johan Hedberg was on the Devils. This team is probably the weakest looking team for a Canucks fan to back because let’s face it, Steve “Stone Hands” Bernier had an amazing first game with Vancouver then fell downwards the rest of his career here, and Johan “He was terrible” Hedberg, while loved by many in Vancouver, never got much of a chance to do anything because Marc Crawford hated any goalie that wasn’t Dan Cloutier. On first glance you might not think there is much of a reason to join Team Bernier and you would be right.

First, the highlights.

Pros:

– If Hedberg wins, I can track down Marc Crawford, give him a knowing look, and say “Cloutier, eh?”

– Canucks fans can finally feel good about the fact we once chanted Steve Bernier’s name during a game.

– We can claim that the Sedins taught Bernier everything he knows.

– We can claim that signing Bernier to an offer sheet wasn’t a stupid move. “Uhhh, we signed a future Stanley Cup winning player. Suck it.” (Yes, it’s come to this.)

– The three people who own Bernier jerseys will be really really happy.

Cons:

– Some fans will begin lamenting the fact we let Bernier go and say that is a reason we lost in the first round this year.

– Steve Bernier will have a Cup win and the Sedins will have none. This just isn’t fair.

– Kyle Wellwood will get his hopes up that next year it’s his turn to win a Cup.

– Instead of talking about the “Goalie Graveyard” in Vancouver, people will begin talking about the “Fat Player Graveyard” in Vancouver

– Some advanced stats guy somewhere will write an article in an attempt to prove to me that Steve Bernier was tragically underrated during his time here in Vancouver

Team Mitchell

This is probably the strongest entry because Vancouver loves it some Willie. Mitchell was a fan favorite during his short stay here, and holds the distinction of being one of the most hated men in the world (Minnesota series, 2003) and turning into one of the most beloved men in the world (When he played for us.) Let’s see some highlights, shall we?

Pros:

– It’s Willie Freaking Mitchell

– Mitchell is a bad ass. And he is from Vancouver. We enjoy Vancouver bad asses winning the Cup. Look at this face:

That is perhaps the scariest profile picture in the NHL right now. That profile picture is what made Shea Weber grow a beard last year, in an attempt to hide from Willie Mitchell.

– Mitchell using the long stick to piss off Mike Keenan remains one of the best stories ever. This man deserves a win for making us laugh AND for annoying Mike Keenan.

– You know that Mitchell would have killed to have won a Cup for Vancouver. He bled the Canucks blue and green. And orange, black and red. And mauve, silver and whatever other colors we happen to use.

– Mitchell is one of the few people that reminds people of Trevor Linden in the way he carried himself. A victory from Mitchell means a victory for the Linden mentality. I can get behind that.

– I actually felt aftershocks the day he laid out Jonathan Toews. This alone makes me want to cheer him on for the Cup.

Cons:

– Him winning a cup means Fat Drew Doughty wins a Cup.

– L.A. Kings fans, who currently have that new car scent all over them for getting past the first round for the first time in a long while, will be insufferable to be around. The worst nightmare for any Canucks fan is for a team from the West coast to win the Cup.

– Dustin Penner might mistake the Cup for a pancake and could end up eating it

– “LA Kings Quick to victory!” will be a headline that is used. I don’t like this.

– We will have to see Kelly Hrudey’s erection on CBC when the Kings win the cup. This will be akward.

– Do you like Wayne Gretzky interviews? Because get ready for 5 million of them.

– Remember that “We should have drafted Kopitar” argument? Oh it’s about to get ugly.

– Mike Richards and Jeff Carter partied like animals when they didn’t win a Cup. I don’t want to see what happens when they do win a Cup. Somehow it will end up as an episode of Breaking Bad. “A meth lab created using the Stanley Cup? How did they even….”

So which team are you on, folks? Team Mitchell has the strongest emotional ties, but has the most cons. Team Pyatt has a lot of ex-Canucks but is that enough to make you support them? Or does that turn you away from them because you are petty and don’t want victory for ex-Canucks? What about Team Bernier….hahah just kidding, nobody likes Team Bernier. So Team Mitchell, Team Bernier or Team Pyatt, which one are you?

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/05/04/team-bernier-vs-team-mitchell-vs-team-pyatt/feed/0teamtshirtskidr0lltaylorpyatt2steveWillieMitchell2121Canucks: The live-chatters speak out post-Mike Gillis’s press conferencehttp://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/04/25/canucks-the-live-chatters-speak-out-post-mike-gilliss-press-conference/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/04/25/canucks-the-live-chatters-speak-out-post-mike-gilliss-press-conference/#commentsWed, 25 Apr 2012 22:04:23 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=72657When Canucks GM Mike Gillis held his press conference on Tuesday morning, we glanced at the counter that shows us how many people are taking active part in the 24/7 Canucks live chat at any one time. The number hit …]]>When Canucks GM Mike Gillis held his press conference on Tuesday morning, we glanced at the counter that shows us how many people are taking active part in the 24/7 Canucks live chat at any one time. The number hit 700, which we’d never seen before. During the press conference, we turned off the comments. After it was done, we turned it back on.

Here are a few things that were said by Province readers throughout the day on the chat. And you’re welcome to head there anytime – at theprovince.com/canucks …

NCF: “Interesting to hear the plain truth about Cody.”

Goraffi: “How incredibly discouraging! No thought as to what is required to have a chance at the cup. Stay the course of continued regular season glory until they become old and slow like Calgary and San Jose. More small forwards getting the crap beat out of them.”

PeZzy: “I’d like to know if Gillis is in favour of a more balanced schedule, rather than feeding points off of the weakest division in the NHL?”

Left coast: “If the Province writers read this, get on the phone to Cody asap. Gillis is full of nonsense, and trying to blame Cody for the timing of a trade that he shouldn’t have made. I call b.s.”

Left coast: “He has two goalies, a third that is ready and no scoring. And the conclusion is to do nothing? He’s got a team that didn’t show up for the second half of the season, beat weak teams and had no system or game plan for Games 1 and 2. And yet everything is fine, stay the course. Is he kidding?”

CanucksWino: “Biggest thing I took away from the presser, when he was asked the ‘what do you tell the fans’ question, he made a comment of ‘doing everything we possibly can in the off-season to get ready for the upcoming year because we have a good team.’ The look of determination on his face when he said that was clear – you can tell he’s frustrated with the result and wants to get right back to work. He mentioned the window to win – he knows he’s in it.”

Tough Old Bird: “He stood pat on Free Agent Day and made the team worse at the deadline … which resulted in 14 fewer playoff wins.”

Doug: “Good to see MG showing off his character and integrity by throwing Cody under the bus.”

Agent86: “On draft day there were rumours of Hodgson being a bit of a prima donna. Remember he dropped from the top 5 down to 10th or wherever it was where the canucks picked him up. My quibble with the whole thing is what they got in return for him.”

Lightspeed: “Canucks wont qualify Mayray, they may try to bring him on as a UFA, but, to be honest, there is no room for him on the top 6 and he is not well suited to a bottom 6 role. GMMG may try to move his rights for a low pick at the draft, but, thats about it.”

ZombieZZZ: “He plainly and simply did not say anything of value. It was like white noise. Sad. At least Burke apologised.”

Wetcoaster: “Hod(g)son, according to Gillis, was major distraction and consumed way too many team resources. That was situation that had to be dealt with and Gillis did so. How many rookies force not one but two summit meetings. Gillis is clearly a player’s GM but even he could not countenance what Hod(g)son and his entourage were doing. When this initial brouhaha erupted I predicted that the rift while papered over would never truly be healed.”

FireflyFaery: “But do you trade a guy just to trade a guy? Teams know they have the Canucks at their mercy…they could force them to tie up cap space with 2 goalies by not conceding to a trade that makes sense for the Canucks.”

Trooper: “Unable or unwilling to admit he made a mistake, wouldn’t change a thing, happy with regular season success(more than enough, eh), body language shouts WEAKNESS, steady as she goes…… sure hope the owners are the strong link in this franchise.”

Mud: “When all is said and done Canucks fans have got to give Lu some respect… he has been a big part of a very good run for the team.”

Agent86: “Btw… I blame the playoff failure on Coldplay. They had Coldplay in the building, then the Canucks played cold. Wouldn’t that be like having some band name Lion Killers play before the Grey Cup?”

Ryan: “So you throw a lot of money longterm for a player who hasn’t played over 40 games in a season?”

Lightspeed: “Let me say this about how the twins play the game. They have had very few injuries simply because they dont play a physical game. They arent getting points, scoring goals, and winning games if they are injured or in teh penalty box. If you crunched the numbers, you will find that those two players are about as good a bargain as you would find in the NHL when you consider point production and cap hit.”

BuzMeg: “I suspect Aquilini will extend Gillis, Gillis will make a positive but critical presentation for AV and Aquilini will say ‘Fuggedaboutit.’”

Albertancanuck: “macT took a buncha stiffs to a game from the cup, wut do u think he coulda done with last years team?”

Stuie: “The glaring statistic was losing all three games at home in the playoffs.”

BuzMeg: “My team next year, for now at least:

Top scoring line Sedins-Burrows

Top shut down line Higgins-Kesler-Hansen

Secondary scoring line Booth-Schroeder or acquired player-Kassian or Jensen

Energy/secondary checking line Volpatti-Lapierre-Kassian or other

Hamhuis/Bieksa

Edler/acquired player

Ballard/Tanev

Schneider/Lack or vet back up

Coach – Not AV, not re-tread old hack. Not sure who but interview best 10-15 candidates and pick one.”

]]>http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/04/25/canucks-the-live-chatters-speak-out-post-mike-gilliss-press-conference/feed/0game5canuckslosetokingsyoungfanjonnymac68codyhodgsondraftgillisgilmanhenningzackkassianmasonraymondglumnonis.burkeschneiderluongoPICNIKcoldplayhenrikanddanielsedinaquilinibrothersmactavishmarcosturmPICNIKCanucks/Devils Post Game Quotes (I Wish Were Real)http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/02/25/canucksdevils-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real/
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/02/25/canucksdevils-post-game-quotes-i-wish-were-real/#commentsSat, 25 Feb 2012 22:54:16 +0000http://blogs.theprovince.com/?p=62566The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you …]]>The main issue I have with post game coverage is the general lack of personality conveyed by the majority of the league. The NHL has some of the classiest athletes and coaches in all of professional sports, but sometimes you just want to hear someone go off.

No canned responses about “working hard”, “winning the battles” and “putting in a gutsy effort” (With as many shots as the Canucks had, luck and solid goaltending = a gutsy effort). I would love it if there was a bit more colour in those interviews and players said what they were really thinking.

Stuff like this:

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Head Coach Peter DeBoer – “We had a nice 4-game win streak going, and these jerks had to come in here and spoil it. Can’t even let us get to 20+ first? Selfish. Overrated and selfish”.

Ilya Kovalchuk – (Yelling through a megaphone) “SORRY, YOU’LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP. I CAN’T HEAR YOU PERCHED ALL THE WAY UP HERE ON TOP OF THIS GIANT PILE OF MONEY”.

Patrick Elias – “We should trade for that goalie. He’s pretty good. I’m not going to say ours is old or anything, but he fell asleep for most of the second period. I suppose they are to blame for that too, but still”.

Zach Parise – “Ever since I scored that last-minute goal against Canada in 2010, everyone expects me to do it every game. Failure is one thing, but it’s the angry stares afterwards that hurt most”.

Martin Brodeur – “I got rings, I got gold medals, I got records and I got an untouchable legacy. This doesn’t affect me at all. I JUST found out we lost 20 seconds ago”.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Head Coach Alain Vigneault – “We were beaten down, we were tired, but I got to give credit where credit is due. Without Mike Burnstein and his clutch orange slices during that second intermission, this win easily could’ve gone the other way. FIRST PLACE, BOOM!”

]]>Earlier today, the New Jersey Devils announced their list of training camp invites, a list comprised of five players: Petr Sykora, Juston Barnett, Anton Stralman, Thomas Nesbitt and Steve Bernier.

Yes, Steve Bernier.

The same Steve Bernier that was taken 16th overall at the 2003 NHL Draft. (One spot ahead of Zach Parise.)

The same Steve Bernier that had 27 points in 39 games as a rookie. (That year, fellow rookie Corey Perry had 25 in 56.)

The same Steve Bernier that St. Louis signed to a $2.5 million offer sheet. (One of just six offer sheets signed since the lockout.)

Yup. That’s right. That same guy — who is still only 26 years old, I might add — now has to grind it out for a NHL contract.

Obviously, Bernier’s suffered some misfortune over the last few years. He’s had terrible luck with shoulder and groin injuries (missing 37 games over the last two seasons) and it seemed like anytime he tried to do right, it just went wrong. Example: Bernier dropped 15 pounds heading into the 2009-10 season to improve his skating and overall conditioning…only to learn his new playing weight sorta sapped him of his physicality (also sapped him of Bernier Body Splash ability, which saddened the KB greatly.)

So some misfortune, sure. But the reality of the situation is that Bernier’s had plenty of opportunities to succeed yet repeatedly failed to capitalize. There aren’t many six-year NHL veterans who can say they’ve been centered by Joe Thornton, Derek Roy and Henrik Sedin — and those that can probably aren’t accepting tryout offers with the Devils.